A new investigation will be opened into the 2013 death of Leonard Thomas, an unarmed Black man killed by a police sniper in Lakewood during a response to a domestic-violence dispute, the state’s Office of Independent Investigations announced Monday.
A retired King County Superior Court judge made the decision, determining that the new investigation should be based in part on evidence that came out in the civil trial that led to a $15.1 million jury verdict against the City of Lakewood, former Lakewood Police Chief Mike Zaro — who ordered a SWAT team to assault the rear of the home where Thomas was killed — and two other officers, who were all found liable for his death.
The Office of Independent Investigations (OII) explained in a news release Monday that it turned to a mediation and arbitration service that primarily uses retired judges to avoid concerns about a conflict of interest. Thomas’ father, Fred Thomas, is a co-chair of the OII Advisory Board, which gives input on agency policies and certain hiring decisions. The judge who made the decision was not named in the news release…